Vending apparatus



(No Model.)

' J. 0. ESTELLE.

VENDING APPARATUS.

No. 443,906. Patented Dec. .30, 1890.

H ,jhw a 3mm.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

J OIIN O. ESTELLE, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

VENDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,906, dated December 30, 1890.

Application filed September 22,1890. Serial No. 365,764. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. ESTELLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in vending apparatus of that class actuated by the insertion of a coin in a slot prepared for the purpose, and is designed primarily for the vending of cigars and cigarettes; but of course I do not restrict myself to such use, as it will be readily understood, as the description proceeds that it is applicable to other usesthat is, for other articles, such as tobacco, candies, and the like.

I provide improved actuating devices. I provide a pusher arranged to contact with the coin after it has been passed through the slot and arranged to constitute a wedge of the said coin to release the locking mechanism and permit the withdrawal of the slide and with it a cigar, cigarette, or whatever the device may contain. I propose to vend the cigarettes by the box only; but they may be disposed of singly, ifpreferred. The cigars are always disposed of singly. The pusher acts first upon the coin to depress the lever and then upon the slide to remove the article. The parts automatically resume their normal position after the article has been withdrawn.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a front or face view ofv my improved device with portions broken away, and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the line a: as of Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in both figures.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the inclosing-case, which may be of suitable material and of a size suited to the arti les to be dispersed. In the present instance I have shown it as having four compartments, two central ones A A for cigars, and the two outer ones A A for cigarettes. The compartments are separated from each other by the vertical partitions a, which extend only to the ledge or base-piece to, leaving the one large compartment A beneath said ledge,in which is fitted to slide the cash-drawer 13, which will be provided with suitable knob or other provision l), to aid in its manipulation.

At the front I provide a suitable door 13, preferably provided with a transparent portion through which the contents of the case may be seen, and at the rear side I provide a door 13 for the insertion of the articles to be vended and for the removal of the cigar-boxes when empty.

I provide an independent slide for each compartment. These slides I have designated by the letter 0. They are provided with a suitable handle or other means 0, whereby they may be operated, in this instance the handle being, as shown, integral with the slide. The slide is formed with an opening or slot 0' of the proper dimensions to admit the desired coin, and the slide is fitted to move in suitable guideways of any suit-able construction. Upon its under side the slide is provided with an arm 0, which I term the pusher. It extends from a point within the case forward, with its forward end terminating substantially on a line with the rear end wall of the coin-slotin the slide, as seen best in Fig. 2. Its forward end is preferably somewhat enlarged and slightly concave, so as to conform to the convexity of the coin. Upon its upper face within the case the slide is provided with an upwardly-extending lug 0 (see Fig. 2,) for a purpose hereinafter described. The pusher works through a suitable guide-slot between guide-bars a (shown more clearly in Fig. 1,) said guide-bars being attached to or forming a part of the ledge a.

D is a sideless drawer having a front and provided in its bottom with a longitudinal slot (1, in which the lugs c of the slide work, as seen in Fig. 2. Upon the upper face of the bottom of this drawer is a plate E, which at its rear end is formed with a notch e and square shoulder e, as seen in Fig. 2. The rear end of the drawer is provided with a slot, through which the upwardly-extending portion of the lever works. (See Fig. 2.) This lever F is pivoted on the pin or bolt 1, which is arranged Substantially in a line with the rear wall of the coin-slot of the slide when the latter is in its normal position. The upper face of the forward end of this lever beyond its pivot is inclined upward, as shown at 6 The lever at its rear end is provided with a vertical extension f, the free end of which extends forward horizontally and is formed into a catch orlatch] (see Fig. 2) to engage the notch c and shoulder c of the plate E. G is a spring having one end secured to the rear wall of the case, as atg, and its other end connected with a vertical portion of the lever f near its upper end in any suitable manner-as, for instance, by means of a pin or projection g, as seen in Fig. 2.

11 is a retraetingspring, connected at one end to the rear wall of the case and at its upper end to the plate 6, and serving to normally keep the parts in position in which they are shown in Fig. 2. The boxes containing the cigarettes are placed in the end compartments with the lower one resting on the bottom of the drawer.

The cigar-boxes with the lower end and top removed are placed within their compartments, the lower end resting at the rear inclined support I, and at their forward face having a bearing against the door B,as seen in Fig. 2. In order to retain the boxes in this inclined position so that their contents will readily descend by gravity, I provide upon the adjacent walls of the compartments the strips J, which are tapered upon their rear faces from the top downward, as seen in Fig. 2, and against which tapered edges the sides of the box have a bearing, as seen in both views. After the boxes have thus been placed in position they are there retained by meansof a removable strip K, which is inserted in the hooks or analogous holding means 7r, as seen in Fig. 2. \Vhen the boxes are empty, the removal of this strip permits their ready removal, as will be readily understood.

The operation is simple and apparent. Normally the parts are in the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2, a cigar being in the depression between the front-(l of the drawer and the forward edge of the plate E, as seen in Fig. 2, the parts being locked against movement, as seen. When a coin is dropped through the coin-slot e of the slide, it falls upon the lever F in front of the pusher. Now by pulling upon the handle 0 ofthe slide the pusher forces the coin forward,whieh, acting upon the wedge portion of the lever, forces its forward end downward, and consequently its latch or catch portion forward out of engagement with the shoulder of the plate E. During this movement the lug c-of the slide has come into contact with the forward wall of the slot (1' of the drawer, so that continued pulling upon the slide forces the drawer forward until the cigar is brought beyond the wall of the case, where it is removed and the parts released, when the spring lI retracts the drawer and by reason of the engagement thereof with the lug c of the slide, the slide is retracted and the parts automatically locked. As the parts resume their normal position another cigar takes the place of the one removed and the device is ready for another manipulation.

Various modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of or sacriiieingthe advantages of theinvention.

hat I claim isl. The combination, with the case and the pivoted lever havinga wedge portion in front of its pivot and in front of the coin-slot, of the slide having a coin-slot, an upwardly-extending lug and a pusher-arm upon its end face, the drawer having a slot in which said lug works, and a plate carried by the drawer and designed to be engaged by the latch end of the lever, substai'itially as specified.

E2. The combination, with the lever having a wedge portion, of the drawer having a slot and a plate upon its upper face and the slide having a lug engaging the slot of the drawer, said slide having a coin-slot and upon its under face an arm, the free end of which is substantially in line with the rear wall of the coin-slot, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the lever having a wedge portion, of the drawer having a slot and a plate upon its upper face and the slide having a lug engaging the slot of the drawer, said slide having a coin-slot and upon its under face an arm, the free end of which is substantially in line with the rear wall of the coinslot and enlarged, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the lever having a wedge portion, of the drawer having a slot and a plate upon its upper face and the slide having a lug engaging the slot of the drawer, said slide having a coin-slot and upon its under face an arm, the free end of which is substantially in line with the rear wall of the slot and enlarged and concave, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the case and the guides 0 of a pivoted lever having a wedge portion, the vertical portion terminating in a latch, the drawer having a longitudinal slot, a plate having a notch to engage the latch, and the slide having a coin slot, an upwardly-exten ding lug, and a horizontal pusherarm adapted to force the coin over the wedge portion of the lever, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the case having partitions and tapered pieces J, of the in-| pieces, of the removable bar K and supports 10 olined supports I for the lower end of a box, therefor near the rear upper edge of the box,

substantially as specified.

7. The combination, with the case provided with partitions, inclined support, and tapered pieces, of the removable bar K and supports therefor, substantially as specified.

8. The combinatiomwith the case provided with partitions, inclined support, and tapered substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. ESTELLE. Witnesses:

JAMES T. ARMSTRONG, H. C. WHITEHEAD. 

